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Friday, 30 November 2007

I love vintage fabric so much I can't bear to throw away even the tiniest bit. I decided we needed to start making something out of the fabric offcuts, because they were too good to waste!So we've come up with little sleepy owls and fabric hearts (I will blog the hearts tomorrow).

Sleepy Owls:Each owl is made from vintage fabric and filled with a mixture of stuffing and chemical free lavender. You can either place them on your pillow to help you float off to sleep, or place in your wardrobe (they don't mind the dark!) to make your clothes smell nice.Sleepy Owls will be on sale on our stall at the CREATE Festive Fayre on 7th & 8th December in Bristol, UKplease see the CREATE website for more detailsCREATECome and check out our handmade bags at our Etsy store

Thursday, 29 November 2007

As mentioned below, I bought a Bokashi Composter from Wiggly Wigglers back in Spring 2007. I have spent the past few months composting kitchen waste and I have to say I'm hooked. It has to be one of the best ways to compost food waste. It's easy, compact and there's no smell. Considering some of the food has been squashed into our Bokashi bin for over 3 months, the 'no-smell' aspect of Bokashi is a pleasant surprise to me. All those tiny Effective microOrganisms (or EMS for short) work like a dream.

I've taken a montage of images showing the composting process. Basically you place kitchen waste (including meat and fish scraps, although not anything too creamy or milk based), squash it down, sprinkle the special Bokashi bran on top, seal the lid (carefully ensuring the lid is really firmly closed, any air getting in can ruin the composting process). Then sit back and let the EMS ferment your food. Every now and again you drain the liquid from the bin, dilute it with water and feed to your plants (you can use it to clean drains, but my plants love it so much, I haven't tried that yet).

Once the bin is full (for our 2 person household that takes approx 1-2 months), you let it sit untouched for 14 days. Then you can either dig into your garden or add to a conventional compost heap. It breaks down amazingly rapidly, releasing large quantities of soil boosting probiotic micro-organisms which nourish the soil naturally.

The Bokashi liquid is the best part about the whole process. My garden has loved every drop of it. I have compiled a montage of a small selection of the plants grown in my garden this year, and as you can see they were all very healthy.

to find out more visit the Wiggly Wigglers website and search for 'Bokashi' or 'EmPowered Composting':Wiggly Wigglers

Wednesday, 28 November 2007

Last year my Mum and I bought 2 Bokashi compost bins from Wiggly Wigglers. I can highly recommend them to anyone, they are easy to use, compact, smell-free and best of all my garden loves the liquid fertilizer and fermented composted waste.I will blog about it in more detail tomorrow and add some photos :)

When I bought a Bokashi bin, I also signed up for Wiggly updates via email. I received an update on 27th November asking for Wiggly fans to contribute to the next catalogue, or 'Mega Wiggly Catalogue' as Heather (Wiggly Owner) likes to call it.

Basically Wiggly Wigglers are asking for people to write a review, send a photo of yourself or your family using a Wiggly Wigglers product or send in some info about yourself.

Tuesday, 27 November 2007

Pouch vintage fabric peg bag is featured in the Etsy gift guide under section for Eco Friend

I know the gift guides are a bit controversial on Etsy, there have been 100s of comments good and bad made in the Etsy forums, but I'm pleased it's on there as I've been working really hard taking the best pictures I can to make the products look nice :)

We also had a sunflower bag listed under the Bag Lady category and that sold on Sunday, woohoo!

Friday, 23 November 2007

The UK Street Team have been working hard to produce and put together a Christmas themed promotional gift pack.

Etsy sellers based in the UK have donated handmade items and promotional items such as Moo cards and stickers to go into packs which are now on sale in the UK Team shop. Ease your Christmas shopping by purchasing a fantastic selection of merchandise created by Etsy sellers.

Handmade items in the packs range from porcelain pendants to felt Christmas decorations. Full details of the items and Etsy seller's who took part can be found by following the link belowUK Team store on Etsy

Thursday, 22 November 2007

I took the plunge and bought a showcase spot on Etsy. Although people have not been happy about the increase in price ($15), You've got to speculate to accumulate as they say!If it doesn't have much effect on traffic to the shop then I wont try it again, or I may try again in the Spring :)It did give me a chance to spruce up the shop and make sure all the pictures were as good as I could make them. I think I aimed to make the items look more unified, for example, all the peg bags now face in the same direction. I know it sounds a bit OCD-ish, but I know how important good photos are on Etsy, so I didn't want the shop looking like a right muddle.Since starting on Etsy, I have taken on board lots of advice and looked at loads of other shops. The message has got through to me loud and clear that good photos are key.I used to sell on Ebay with the bags placed on plain white backgrounds, cut-out and manipulated in photoshop, now I use natural settings with natural light, with props such as antique chest of drawers and a neutral cloth underneath.I am pleased with the overall effect now, there's still room for improvement, but it's good to keep learning and thinking of new ideas for photos and products.I'm still enjoying the Etsy experience and that's the most important thing!Come and check out our handmade bags at our Etsy storewww.pouchbags.co.uk

Sunday, 18 November 2007

We are very chuffed to have made it onto the Etsy homepage with gold velvet clutch!It's a great way to get noticed, the viewing figures for the clutch shot up to over 600 views in an hour, lots of people added us as a favourite seller and we sold 2 items overnight!

visit our shop to see our other items, including some adorable vintage fabric Christmas stockingshttp://www.pouch.etsy.com

Thursday, 8 November 2007

Just listed this adorable clutch purse on Etsy, one of my favourite shapes and fabrics

A cute, eco-friendly, clutch purse made from reclaimed antique gold velvetFeatures a vintage bottle green bakelite buckleFully lined with chocolate brown silky fabricThe purse is interlined with padding; giving the purse a great shapeIt has a velcro closure on reverse of bucklePretty and stylish, great for year-round useThis purse is an OOAK due to the fact we have no more of this type of vintage fabric left. Treat yourself to skillfully sewn, handmade bag

Thursday, 1 November 2007

I have been without internet access for 28 days thanks to certain UK internet companies who shall remain nameless.Finally back online and can resume the blogging!Lots to catch up on, loads of bags to list on Etsy, including this vintage flowers tote in one of my favourite fabrics.As you can see, it is made with a bold, distinctive vintage fabricfully lined with reclaimed chocolate brown corduroy fabric.It also features a useful key fob made with matching corduroy fabric.No visible seams, so totally reversible.eco-friendly and super stylish ;)

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I like to blog about vintage finds, my latest crafting project and share ideas for entertaining children. You can also find me on Instagram and Twitter.

I'm a proud Mum to our beautiful little girl. She brings out the big kid in me and we like to do creative and silly things together. As a family we love walking, camping, den building, digging our allotment and beach combing...we're happiest when making the most of the great outdoors.